Always Listening
by Izikiel Black
Summary: Big sisters are the last line of defense. They are the apex predators of Rapture. But what if they weren't? What happens when a certain oneor two?) discovers feelings for the one that is? Rated T for language and violence. I readily accept constructive criticism, but will most likely delete it from the reviews(it's a personal thing). Updates should be weekly
1. Chapter 1

You've met the family already, haven't you? No? Well, I suppose we'll have to change that, now, won't we?

Splicers. Citizens who are so genetically twisted that they've been driven insane from the sheer extent of their ADAM addiction. How do they get it?

Little sisters. Five year old girls with an ADAM slug grafted into their stomach lining. Sent on missions around Rapture to gather ADAM from corpses. How are they protected?

Big daddies. Hulking monstrosities created by grafting (the only exception being the Alpha series) physically modified humans into massive diving suits. What if they fail?

Big sisters. Believed to be one omniscient being, these horrors are created when a little sister hits her teens. The ADAM slug in her system rips her alternate reality away from her, showing her the real world and driving her insane in the process. Put into lithe diving suits and filled to the brim with ADAM-fueled plasmids gained from sucking up all that ADAM as children. They are the last line of defense. They are the apex predator of Rapture. They are at the top of the food chain.

At least, they were.

They were until scientists discovered a new kind of slug, one that feeds off EVE. They were until scientists realized that these slugs were incompatible with the genetics of females, just as ADAM slugs are with males. They were until I was ripped from my family and put through an operation that grafted the slug into my heart.

They were until I was turned into a big brother.

Miss Lamb was right in saying that big sister is always watching. I know because they told me everything. Every time a sister was killed, I heard about it. If a big daddy went rogue, I chose the sister who had to kill him. Big sister is always watching, but big brother is always listening.

And he is infinitely more dangerous.

You can scoff all you want. For those of you who've met them, I don't blame you. I know none of you have met me because if you've met me, I've been sent to kill you, and if I'm sent to kill someone, they die. Even if they're a big sister.

How? How can I kill the most powerful being in rapture? How can I kill someone with a three foot long extraction needle and plasmids so powerful they can melt steel? Easy.

I have plasmids of my own.

You see, plasmids are created with ADAM, but how do you stabilize something that radioactive? How do you shape something that powerful?

EVE.

EVE shapes, controls, and manipulates ADAM. The slug inside me feeds off of raw EVE, then introduces it back into my system as purified EVE, completely devoid of all genetic abnormalities that occur in its raw state. In its raw form, EVE can easily power one or two plasmids at once, but purified EVE can maintain six or seven at once, and make them more powerful than you can imagine. However, plasmids are not our most deadly weapon. What is?

Why don't you find out?

I walked through the streets of Pauper's Drop, hands clasped behind my back, following the sound of fighting. I walked into a cavernous room only to have a thuggish splicer run towards me.

I didn't move an inch.

It jumped, raising its wrench to strike my helmet.

I just watched.

An inch before it touched my suit's helmet, it stopped. I used my telekinesis to hold it in front of me as I watched its eyes widen in fear. I stared into its face, my porthole a smooth yellow. It screamed as I crushed it with my mind, letting its lifeless body fall to the floor. I stepped over it, and the fighting stopped.

Two ledheads lowered their tommy guns, a brute dropped the piece if rubble it was holding, and three spiders shrunk back in fear. I slowly moved my head around the room, gazing into six pairs of fearful orbs before finally finding my prey.

Across the room, perched on a desk, was a big sister gone rogue, her porthole a glaring, angry red. without moving, I unclasped my hands and held my right one out towards the door. The splicers left hurriedly, casting worried glances at me over their shoulders. As the last one fled the room, my gaze once again fell upon the sister. For a long moment, the only sound I could hear was the faint dripping of a leak in the building's glass. Then, My porthole flared a blood red and the sister lunged. I waited as she drew ever closer, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. She extended her ADAM needle, aiming straight for my heart. As her needle inched closer, I moved slightly to my left, letting it glide harmlessly past me as I reached my arm out, appearing for all the world to be reaching out to catch her.

I heard a sickening squelch as my extraction needle pierced through her, slicing through the ADAM slug residing in her stomach. I felt her breath catch as I gently lowered her to the ground. I withdrew the needle, retracting it back into my wrist mechanism. I reached down and released the clasps holding her helmet in place. A rush of pressurized air flooded out and I gazed upon the face of my victim.

Her hair was cut short, falling to her shoulders. I brushed a black strand out of her face with a thinly gloved hand, staring into bright green eyes. Her skin was pale, though not quite as light as mine. I gently brushed away red, ADAM-infused tears as she said, "I-I'm scared."

Reaching up, I released the clasp that held my mask together. It split down the middle, showing my face to the girl. I smiled, saying, "It's going to be okay. You're not going to hurt anymore. You're safe now." She closed her eyes, releasing a shaky breath.

"Am I dying?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking into mine.

"Yes," I said sadly. "but I'm right here." I pulled her right hand into my left, gently running my thumb over her cheek. "I won't leave you." At that she smiled and closed her eyes, breathing her last breath as she lay in my arms. I extended the small gathering needle on my left hand, placing it in her neck and draining her ADAM, before switching the holding cylinder and piercing her heart, draining her EVE. I replaced our helmets and, kneeling on the grimy floor of Pauper's Drop, I shed a tear for the sister I never knew as I teleported us both back to Persephone, home of the sisters.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I know I said weekly, but as I won't be able to update next week, I decided to be nice. Anyway, it was brought to my attention that the big brother could be considered a Gary Stue (an infinitely powerful and unbeatable character). I would like to say that the big brother does have weaknesses, they're just not very well known, and the first chapter was really just to introduce you to the persona of the big other. You will see his weaknesses in this chapter, I promise! So, with that in mind, here's chapter 2!

I was pacing again. That was happening a lot lately. It wasn't from pent-up energy, I knew that much. It wasn't from nervousness; what would I be nervous about? It might have been guilt - but no, I was a big brother! Top predator in rapture, leader of the pack! None could stand in my way! If they did, I tore them apart without remorse and without mercy. But that sister…

I sighed in exasperation. _What was that? _I thought. _Why did I act like that? It was completely against protocol!_ I stopped pacing, hearing something outside. I immediately turned and clasped my hands behind me, facing the window overlooking rapture. The door opened and a sister came in.

I waited a moment for her to speak, but when she did not, I said, **"****Is there something you need?**" My voice was being twisted by the mechanics of my suit's mask. Unlike the other protectors, my voice had remained unchanged, as Miss Lamb found it rather inconvenient to decipher the screeching and moaning of the daddies and sisters, and as I was required to speak to her much more often than the others, it was decided that my mask's voice altering systems would suffice when vocal intimidation was required.

"**Two little sisters have been killed.**"

My eyes narrowed behind my porthole. "**Send in a sister. ADAM is too precious to let it go to waste.**"

"**We...We did,**" she said, suddenly sounding very nervous. I turned around to face her.

"**Then why are you bringing tis to me?**" I asked, dreading the answer.

"**She was killed-**"

"**Where are the ones who did this?**" I questioned, interrupting her mid-sentence. If these people were able to take out two daddies and a sister, then they were a force to be reckoned with.

"**There was only one, **" she admitted, stepping back slightly as my porthole flared from an amiable green to a hideous red.

"**Where.**" I said this as more of a demand than a question. She sent me their location through our navlink and I strode out the door, brushing past the cowering sister.

I walked through the halls of Pauper's Drop, passing the room where I had killed the sister. I entered the train station, searching the area for my target. Just as I was about to leave and search another area, I heard movement behind me. I turned just in time to see what appeared to be an rogue daddy slam his fist into my chest, right where the EVE slug was grafted into my heart. I flew back and landed on the ground, pain searing through my chest. How did he know?! I thought.

The only surefire way to kill a sister is to kill the ADAM slug inside of her. If the slug dies, It releases its ADAM into its host, flooding their systems and effectively killing them. We have a similar weakness, except that our armor is too thick around our heart to stab or cut. We are, however, vulnerable to strong blows - like those of a daddy - which not only cause extreme pain, but also disable any EVE usage while the slug heals. The secret is extremely well-guarded, and just the fact that this daddy new it spoke volumes about him.

I painfully stood, extending my extraction needle. The daddy grabbed his drill and revved it, wasting no time in dashing towards me. I tried to sidestep him, but just as I went to move, electricity sparked from his left hand and tore through me. His drill slammed into my stomach, sending me into the train car behind me. He stood there looking down at me, a rivet gun clutched in his right hand. he took aim at my head, but just then, I felt the slug contract slightly, and my face split into a wicked grin. Now, let's have some fun.

I disappeared in a cloud of red smoke, appearing behind him. As he turned, fire erupted from my right hand, engulfing him in a torrent of white-hot flames. Then, suddenly, frost started coming out of his hand, meeting my fire in a cloud of steam. My eyes widened. A daddy with not one plasmid, but two? I broke off the attack and dove to the side, dodging his stream of ice. Electricity flew out of my left hand, striking the daddy in the chest. He fell to his knees, convulsing as I kept the stream on him. I walked up to him and glanced at his hand.

Subject Delta? But, he died ten years ago! I held my right arm out, extending my needle. Apparently not. Drawing my arm back for the final blow, I felt something on my leg. I looked down and saw that Delta's hand was wrapped around my leg… Which happened to be in an ankle-deep puddle of water. The last thing I remember is a harsh blue glow surging through delta's arm before everything went black.

"Is it dead?"

"What could have killed it?"

"Is it still here?"

The voices were coming from above me, and as I opened my eyes, I saw why; I was laying on the floor with three ledheads gathered around me. My porthole glowed a hostile red and they all jumped back screaming.

"Oh Shit! It's awake!" One of them screamed, raising his gun.

Big mistake.

Jumping to my feet, I flicked my wrist and froze him solid. Turning to the next two, I used telekinesis to lift one up and pull him onto my now extended needle. as I drained the EVE from his still-twitching form, I channeled that into a stream of fire that I used to fry the third splicer, charring him into a black, smoking husk. I dropped the splicer and turned to the swiftly melting ledhead to my left. I placed my hand on the block of ice, sending cracks through it before shattering it, sending the splicer to his knees. I lifted him with my mind and looked him in the eye as I said, "Where is the alpha series?"

He just struggled and screamed, flailing his arms about as much as my telekinetic grasp would let him. I tightened my grip and boomed out "**SILENCE!**" He immediately stopped and looked at me fearfully, eyes brimming with tears. "**Where is the alpha series that was here?**" I asked in a lower tone, though the steel in my voice told him just what I would do if he didn't answer.

"I-I don't kn-know, honest!" he said, trembling in fear. I sneered, realizing he was telling the truth. I snapped his neck, dropping his corpse to the blood-soaked floor. Sighing, I activated the radio unit in my mask.

"Yes?" A cultured voice asked, tinged with an English accent.

"Miss Lamb, gather the sisters," I said, voice teeming with anger. "I'm activating The Lancer Protocol."

AN: Also, if inspiration happens to strike anyone, pm me and I'll give you a description of the big brother armor so you can draw it. Seriousy, it would mean the WORLD to me. On a side note, if I do happen to delete your reviews, it does not in any way signify that I find them offensive. I have my own reasons for doingnit and if I don't tell you that I found it offensive, assume I didn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I am terribly sorry about the confusion going on with this chapter. There were website glitches that I have been made aware of, and have subsequently fixed. This chapter should suffice for now. Also, I realize that there are several formatting errors that exist within all my chapters. Be that as it may, I have no control over this until I have access to an actual computer on friday. With that in mind, thanks for reading and don't forget to review! **

* * *

As I stood on the stage of the plasmid theatre in Fontaine Futuristics, I calmly looked around the room at the big sisters of rapture. What little muttering there was stopped as soon as I raised my hand for silence. I put my hand down before saying, "As you are all aware, no less than two little sisters have been killed, their ADAM extracted." The crowd hissed in disapproval. "One of your own was sent after the ADAM to avenge the little ones." I paused. "She was killed." The crowd went silent. "I took notice and went after this new threat." The crowd murmured in approval. "However," I said, cutting off the whispers. "The threat was stronger than I anticipated. I was unable to defeat it. This is why I have decided to activate the Lancer Protocol."

There was a moment of dead silence before the crowd erupted into shrieks of protest. One sister in the crowd looked around, obviously confused. "What's the Lancer Protocol?" She asked in a timid voice. Obviously one of the new ones. I thought.

I cleared my throat before bellowing out "SILENCE!", causing the crowd of sisters to quickly cease their shrieking. "For those of you who don't know, the Lancer Protocol involves bonding one of you to a big daddy. However, since we cannot spare any more protectors," I paused to slow my racing heart. "You will instead be bonded to me." As expected, this was met with more screams of disapproval. I was quick to silence them again. "Which one of you will be bonded to me?" I asked, not expecting an answer. "Anyone? Can none of you be spared from your duties? Surely there is one of you who has not yet been assigned to a quadrant." At this, three of the elite sisters - the oldest of the group - huddled together and started conversing rapidly. I held my hand up for silence and started towards them.

They broke apart and one of them walked to me. "We may have someone," She said hesitantly. "But they're a bit… Unstable."

"That won't be an issue," I said. "Which one is she?"

They shared a look before turning to me. "Follow us," the third one said before the three of them turned and walked to the exit.

"You are dismissed!" I said to the rest. I quietly followed the eldest three out the theatre, worry gnawing at me. This should be interesting. I thought.

I couldn't have been more right.

* * *

"We're here," the first sister said. We had arrived at the holding cells in Persephone, one of the few places I had never gone. This area was reserved for the sisters and the sisters alone; I don't even think they've allowed Miss Lamb here, so even my simple presence here was an oddity.

We stood outside one of the maximum security holding cells. Faint sounds could be heard from inside the room, but the small observation window was too grimy and dirty to see what was inside.

The second sister spoke. "This is the cell of subject zeta's bonded sister. She was one of the two bonded sisters that survived into adolescence, the other being none other than miss Lamb's daughter. However, this one wasn't quite as fortunate as Eleanor."

The third sister jumped in. " What she means is that whereas Eleanor was treated, this one wasn't. The thing is, when she matured into a big sister, her daddy was still alive, which helped keep her sane. Then one day, her daddy was killed by splicers. Still being bonded to him, she felt their connection sever as he died. The severance rendered her truly insane, even more so than the rest of us were. We were forced to put her in here for both her safety and ours."

I just stared, anger coursing through me. "You mean to tell me that there was a big sister old enough to have outlived the rise and fall of the alphas, and you never thought that I might be able to cure her? My voice was deadly calm as I commanded her to open the door. When she protested, I shoved her aside and opened it myself.

The sister was sitting on the cot, hugging her knees to her chest. Black scorch marks adorned the walls and ceiling, while deep gouges had been cut into the floor. When the sister saw me, her eyes widened and she scooted backwards until her back hit the wall behind her. "No!" she shouted, covering her face with her hands. "Don't hurt me again! Don't hurt me like you hurt daddy!"

I hurried over and sat down next to her, placing my hands on her shoulders. When she shrank away from my touch, I said, "Don't worry. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to make the pain go away."

She looked up at me with red-tinged eyes. "Would you really?" she asked hopefully, eyes widening.

I nodded. "Hold still, or this might hurt a little." I reached down and twisted a gauge on the small hypodermic needle on my left hand. Some of my EVE filled the small glass vial, glowing a soft blue in the dim light. I then took her arm and, finding a vein, injected my EVE into her body. She suddenly began thrashing around and I grabbed on to her, pulling her into a rough embrace as she continued to beat at me. I motioned for the others to leave, and they did, closing the door behind them.

The girl stopped struggling and started sobbing uncontrollably into my shoulder. I just held her and stroked her hair until she calmed down.

It was always like this. Every time I injected a sister with purified EVE, they had a brief moment when they were sane enough to remember everything, but not quite sane enough to make any coherent thought or sense out of it. My purified EVE did regulate their unstable ADAM, keeping them sane, but the beginning is always a little... Messy. The EVE has to be administered daily, but I don't ever do it. Instead, I just put some EVE into a hypo and the sisters inject themselves. Only the first reaction is this extreme, though; most don't even react to it anymore.

"What's your name?" I asked,, hoping she was calm enough to answer.

She pulled back looked at me curiously. "What did you do? What are you?"

I sighed and released my mask's clasps, pulling the thing completely off. I then explained to her everything she needed to know. Once I was done, I said, "You still haven't told me your name." She blushed, and I couldn't help but think that it was... Cute.

"Oh, right. My name's Sonya. And yours?" I smiled, and her blush deepened.

"That, you will learn soon enough. Speaking of which, I need to ask you something." She nodded, prompting me to continue. "Have you ever heard of the Lancer Protocol?" Once again, she nodded. "Would you like to be part of it?"

Her eyes widened and she started shaking her head. "No. I don't want anything to do with bonding. Not after ... Not after what happened."

"No, you don't understand. It's not a bond in the traditional sense. As you know, ADAM carries memories. EVE, however, has slightly different properties. To put it simply, an EVE link would allow a bonded pair to share thoughts. That's the kind of bond I'm talking about."

She thought about it for a moment. "Who would I be bonded with?" She asked.

I smiled. "If you were to agree, you would be bonded with me."

For a moment, there was silence. Then she turned to me, a faint blush covering her cheeks.

"I'll do it."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Okay so, first off, I'd like to apologize for posting so late; life happened a lot. However, I now have a new editor/muse/idea trampoline that has helped me SO MUCH these past few weeks. Now that I've got my trusty laptop, updates should (hopefully) be way more frequent. If you have any questions/comments/constructive criticism, shoot me a PM. If you're a guest, my email's on my profile. **

**This chapter would never have been finished without my wonderful e/m/i, Ambrose Astrone, who most definitely made it to the cover of my heart (inside joke - mwahaha).**

* * *

**"Come on, Mister B!"**

_My voice rang through the halls, echoing off the soaring archways and towering pillars. I rounded the corner, bare feet skidding slightly on the grimy floor, and saw the telltale sign that an Angel was nearby; a trail of rose petals. "Look, Daddy! It's an Angel!" I tugged on his hand, pulling him along with me. He grunted then, allowing himself to be led down the winding hallways. Then, I saw it; hands folded, head tilted, neck bared and ready for my needle to plunge down into its ADAM rich body. I knelt down quickly, pulling out my needle. A wide grin split my face as I prepared to begin. I shoved the needle deep into the Angel's body, welcoming the wet squelch that accompanied the action. As I extracted the needle, the ground shook and my hulking guardian bellowed out a menacing warning. I looked up just in time to see a massive shoulder slam into him. I cried out to him as he slammed into the wall and crumpled to the floor, momentarily stunned. The massive splicer - a brute, I think - laughed dumbly, waving someone forward._

_While I looked on in terror, a strange man in an odd looking medical coat walked towards my daddy, holding a green, glowing orb. His mouth was hidden by a surgical mask, but I could tell his face was split into a wide, menacing grin. Daddy struggled to stand, still momentarily stunned by the blow he had been dealt, and the man gave a maniacal cackle. The orb pulsed in his hands before he threw it, landing it squarely in the middle of Daddy's chest where it flattened and slowly sank into his suit. Suddenly, he went still. Panic filled me and I heard the strange man said something to Daddy. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it sounded like he was saying something about… I gasped. They were talking about me!_

_He turned towards me, raising his drill. _**"Daddy? What are you doing?"**_ I asked, terror rooting me to the spot. He took a step towards me, portholes unifying into an angry red glare._** "I-I promise I'll be good,"** _I whimpered, desperation clear in my voice. He took another arduous step forward and roared._

_The drill came down._

**"DADDY!"**_ I screamed, raising my hands up to shield my face. I waited for the drill, waited for it to slam into me, but when several moments passed and nothing happened, I peeked through my arms to see his drill suspended mid-swing a bare inch from my helmet lights flickered sporadically, jumping from red to green in rapid, dizzying succession before finally going dark. His unmoving, lifeless body fell to the ground with a loud clanging of metal screeching against metal. I knelt down beside his metal clad form, tears flowing uncontrollably._

* * *

I bolted upright, blankets flying off of me. My heart pounded inside my chest as I struggled in vain to control my breathing. _It was just a dream,_ I thought._ Just another memory._ I shivered, recalling my previous excursions into the recesses of my subconscious.

After allowing myself to calm down, I stretched, shook off my sleepiness, and slipped out of bed. Noticing that the others were starting to wake up as well, I moved quickly to my hook on the wall, took my diving suit off of it, and began the habitual actions of buckling myself into it. I reached for my gloves, running my thumb over the small, luminescent eta symbol on my left hand. I had worked hard for that tiny engraving; it took me all of three years to gain enough prestige to advance to the rank of the seventh elite sister.

Just as I was about to leave to patrol my quadrant, the small navlink in my helmet buzzed. Checking the relay, I saw a transmission saying that I was scheduled for an EVE injection in the Administrative Offices. _That's strange,_ I thought, cocking my head to the side. _I just had one yesterday_. After some deliberation, I decided to just not question it. That's just how things work in The Family; you don't question orders because if you do, Big Brother will hear you.

Big Brother is always listening.

I started on the short walk to the Admin Offices, but as I was about to leave, a sister reached up and took hold of my arm. I turned to face her quickly, surprised at the gesture until I found out who it was. _**"Where are you going?"**_ Chi asked quietly. I smiled; Chi was the closest thing I had to a family. She and I had grown up together, had known each other since we were small.

**_"Don't worry,"_** I said softly. **_"I'm just going for an injection."_**

She mumbled something incoherent before falling back into a deep slumber.

* * *

This specific section of Persephone was especially well kept, as it had to be. Miss Lamb's quarters were near the Administrative Quadrant, so naturally it was the most well kept.

After arriving at the door leading to the main admin office, I went to walk through, but I hesitated. I sniffed the air._ I don't smell any ADAM, so the injection's not being administered by a sister._ _That's strange_, I thought. _It's almost always Tau_. Cautiously, I walked in. I was right; there was no sister. Instead, the great oak desk dominating the center of the room held none other than Miss Sophia Lamb herself.

She looked up from where she sat, poised and proper, and beckoned me closer. I hurriedly complied.

"Remove your helmet." Her voice was strong and clear, tinged with an accent that was foreign to many, but teemed with prestige. "We have much to discuss."

Doing as she said, I timidly said**_,"I-I thought I was getting another injection…"_**She fixed upon me a cold, calculating look, her face unreadable. Under her imposing glare, I shrank back slightly.

"Yes, you were." She spoke slowly, as though speaking to a child. "That, however, was merely a ruse to ensure that you were not followed here. You weren't, were you?" She asked, giving me a condescending look. Thinking back to my brief conversation with Chi, I quickly shook my head. "Good," She said, relaxing slightly. "It is of the utmost importance that what I am about to share with you does not become common knowledge." She gave me a meaningful look. "We don't want to cause an uproar." I nodded but remained silent.

"Yesterday, two little sisters were found to be missing from the infirmary," she stated. My eyes widened in concern upon hearing the news. In Rapture, 'missing usually translated to 'dead'. "I am putting you in charge of finding them. I hope you know what that entails." I nodded once more.

Procedure was simple: find the girls, recover any stolen ADAM, and kill anyone who tried to stop us, including and especially those responsible for the crime.

She gave me a dismissive look before returning her attention to the papers on her desk; I took that as my cue to leave. Standing up, I locked my helmet on to my suit. Just as I was stepping through the door, she said, "Do not fail me. I'm sure I don't need to explain the consequences of that." A shiver ran down my spine and I nodded one final time before exiting the room, closing the door behind me.

* * *

I was passing through Pauper's Drop on my way to Ryan Amusements when I heard it.

The reason I stopped dead in my tracks wasn't the fact that someone was crying. I was in Rapture, after all. No, the reason I stood there holding rooted to the spot, afraid to even breathe for fear of disturbing the person, had more to do with who was crying.

_Is that… Is that another sister?_ I thought with no small amount of apprehension. _No, that's impossible! We can't cry...can we?_ Wanting to investigate further, I stalked towards the sound. Once I reached the town square, I soon realized that I was not alone.

Someone was on their knees holding holding the limp body of a big sister. Peering around the corner, I looked on with rapt attention. Is she… crying?

**_"Am I dying?"_ **she asked, fear wavering in her voice. I gasped. _That's Upsilon!_

Upsilon had been missing for a few days now. I guess she went rogue. I knew she was rebellious, but I never thought she'd take it this far.

"Yes, but I'm right here," He said, voice calm and welcoming. He tilted his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. I jumped back and pressed myself into the wall, completely shocked.

_It's Big Brother! Big Brother is...crying over Upsilon?_ I thought; for crying he was, tears falling silently to the grimy floor. I felt a pang of sympathy run through me. _Was he in love with her?_ I suddenly realized that I hated the girl, though for that reasons, I couldn't say. I turned to the pair once more. He was saying something but he spoke softly, so I couldn't make out what it was.

* * *

I later found myself to be in the administrative offices once again, staring nervously into the imposing glare of Miss Lamb. I was presenting my report on the findings of the day.

**_"I found the bodies of the two sisters near vents in Pauper's Drop. Both of their ADAM slugs were extracted. That appears to be the cause of death."_**

"Why would that kill them?" She asked, suddenly curious.

**_"Well,"_ **I started, _**"You see, their slugs were-****"**_ I paused, struggling to subdue my anger as I said the next part. **_"Their ADAM slugs were forcibly removed."_**

Her scowl deepened before she spoke. "I fear I may know exactly who did this and, if I am correct, these will not be the last two sisters we lose." She sighed then, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly. "Send in big sister Iota. Have her retrieve the ADAM and kill the thief. I expect results by tomorrow morning. You are dismissed." I gave a slight bow and left the room.

* * *

We didn't have to wait for morning; Iota's corpse was found at the train station. Thus, I found myself standing nervously at the door of our overseer's quarters. Iota had ultimately failed, but before she died, she relayed enough information to us that Miss Lamb was able to confirm the thief as Subject Delta, an experimental Alpha series from the early days of the protector program. That's why I found myself anxiously waiting to meet one of the deadliest and most infamous people in rapture; he was the only hope we had of defeating this newfound threat.

Unfortunately, that also means that he can squash me like a bug. And there is that sister he was with...

Steeling my nerves, I entered the room and saw him standing by a window, hands clasped behind him. I shifted around nervously, dreading the coming conversation.

**_"Is there something you need?"_ **His voice rasped, the contrast startling me. The smooth, warm voice I'd heard earlier was long gone.

_**"Two little sisters have been killed in Pauper's Drop," **_I managed to squeak out, fearing what his reaction would be.

**_"Send in a sister. ADAM is too precious to let it go to waste."_ **He said, seemingly unaffected by the news.

I hesitated, then stated in a timid voice,**_ "We… We did."_**

**_"Then why am I being bothered with this?"_** He asked, his tone suddenly rigid. There was anger there, certainly, but it was nothing compared to what happened next.

I took a deep breath. **_"She was killed-"_**

He whirled around to face me, stopping me mid-sentence. **_"Who are the ones who did this?"_ **His voice teemed with rage. I could feel the anger coming off of him in waves. A small shiver of fear ran up and down my spine. I'd hate to be the one he's after.

**_"There was only one,"_ **my voice replied with a tremor. I flinched and took a step back as the friendly green of his porthole suddenly flashed to a fiery red.

**_"Where."_ **Quick to comply, I tapped a button on the navlink built into my helmet, sending the coordinates to him. He quickly walked by me and through the door, brushing my shoulder slightly as he passed.

I shivered, glad I wasn't on the other side of his anger. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt a pang of worry. _Why should I be worried?_ I thought. _He's Big Brother! He can't lose._

_...Can he?_

* * *

**Introducing big sister Eta! This is where things start to get tricky. In the next chapter, we learn BB's name, the sisters' (yes, plural) feelings for him, and why not to play with meathooks. Don't forget to review! For every one I get, I'll stay up an extra half hour writing this.**


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